The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for delivering molybdenum from a lubricant source into a fuel combustion system or to the exhaust therefrom. By the present invention, molybdenum from the lubricant will interact with phosphorus, sulfur, and/or lead from the combustion products. Molybdenum can also enter the combustion system in the present invention as a component of the fuel being burned. In this invention, the molybdenum scavenges or inactivates harmful materials which have migrated into the fuel or combustion products, and which can otherwise poison catalytic converters, sensors and/or automotive on-board diagnostic devices. The invention thus provides a method for improving combustion efficiency of a fuel being combusted in a combustion unit through the introduction therein of molybdenum. The present invention can also lead to improved durability of exhaust after treatment systems.
A problem exists in fuel combustion systems in which the fuel contains, or acquires, or produces upon combustion, one or more metal (e.g. lead), sulfur, and/or phosphorus contaminants that can poison or degrade catalytic converters, sensors, or on-board diagnostic devices.
An additional problem is created by such contaminants in the form of undesirably increased levels of certain combustion products or by-products in the exhaust.
Yet another problem from such contaminants is a detrimental effect on after treatment systems. These contaminants can include elemental phosphorus, lead and sulfur, or compounds thereof in the fuel, or in the air. The contaminants can also get into the fuel, or the combustion chamber, or the combustion exhaust stream from the engine lubricants which often contain phosphorus-containing and sulfur-containing additives, and lead compounds associated with combustion system wear. In addition, the combustion in a waste incinerator of waste engine oil will often have oil containing a molybdenum lubricity or antioxidant additive.
It is a well-known phenomenon that vehicles and other combustion systems consume, that is the engine burns, oil used as a lubricant for the engine or moving parts of a combustion system. Various pathways exist for lubricating oil to enter the combustion system, and/or its exhaust stream. Clearly the various components or additives in the lubricating oil also are consumed or burned and these components or additives can have deleterious effects on the combustion system""s catalysts, after treatment system, and emissions.
It is therefore desirable to inhibit, reduce or prevent the deleterious interaction of components (such as phosphorus, lead and/or sulfur arising from the lubricant source, air or fuel or otherwise entering the combustion process) with the combustion exhaust stream to thereby prevent catalyst poisoning, after treatment system malfunction, and increased emissions.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides a method to inhibit, reduce or prevent the deleterious interaction of components (such as phosphorus, lead and/or sulfur arising from the lubricant source, any processing aid or adjuvant, fuel, fuel additive, air or otherwise entering the combustion process) with the combustion exhaust stream of a combustion unit by the introduction to the unit or its exhaust stream of an effective amount of molybdenum to thereby prevent catalyst poisoning, sensor poisoning, after treatment system malfunction, and/or increased emissions.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a system for adding an effective amount of molybdenum to the combustion of a fuel for scavenging phosphorus, lead and/or sulfur from the fuel or the products resulting from the combustion of the fuel.
The present invention further relates to methods to improve the durability of an after treatment device for a combustion system, wherein the method includes contacting the products of the combustion of a hydrocarbonaceous fuel with a lubricant containing molybdenum in an amount sufficient for the molybdenum to interact with one or more contaminants selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, sulfur, lead or compounds thereof in said products to thereby reduce the amount of one or more of the contaminants contacting the after treatment device.
By xe2x80x9cmolybdenumxe2x80x9d herein is meant any molybdenum compound, source or material, including but not limited to molybdenum trioxide, mono-nuclear and di-nuclear and tri-nuclear molybdenum sulfonate, molybdenum phenate, molybdenum salicylate, molybdenum carboxylates, molybdenum dithiocarbamates, neutral and overbased molybdenum salicylates, neutral and overbased molybdenum phenates, neutral and overbased molybdenum sulfonates, ammonium molybdate, sodium molybdate, potassium molybdate, and molybdenum halides, compounds derived from molybdenum reacted with amines and alcohols, and combinations and mixtures thereof. Examples of commercial sulfur-containing oil soluble molybdenum compounds are Sakura-Lube 100, Sakura-Lube 155, Sakura-Lube 165, and Sakura-Lube 180 from Asahi Denka Kogyo K.K., Molyvan(copyright) A, Molyvan(copyright) 807 and Molyvan(copyright) 822 from R. T. Vanderbilt Company, and Naugalube MolyFM from Crompton Corporation. Examples of commercial sulfur- and phosphorus-free oil soluble molybdenum compounds are Sakura-Lube 700 from Asahi Denka Kogyo K.K., and Molyvan(copyright) 856B and Molyvan(copyright) 855 from R. T. Vanderbilt Company, Inc.
The molybdenum is preferably present in the lubricant as an oil-soluble additive that can volatilize and thereby enter the combustion chamber or exhaust stream. It may also enter the combustion chamber through xe2x80x9cbulkxe2x80x9d consumption, i.e., past valve guides or around piston rings.
By xe2x80x9cbase oilxe2x80x9d herein is meant a base oil which can be selected from the group consisting of paraffinic, naphthenic, aromatic, poly-alpha-olefins, synthetic esters, and polyol esters, and mixtures thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the base oil contains less than or equal to 0.03 wt. % sulfur, and greater than or equal to 90 wt. % saturates, and has a viscosity index greater than or equal to 80 and less than or equal to 120. In another embodiment, the base oil contains less than or equal to 0.03 wt. % sulfur, and greater than or equal to 90 wt. % saturates, and has a viscosity index greater than or equal to 120. In a more preferred embodiment, the base oil is substantially sulfur-free.
By xe2x80x9cscavengingxe2x80x9d herein is meant the contacting, combining with, reacting, incorporating, chemically bonding with or to, physically bonding with or to, adhering to, agglomerating with, affixing, inactivating, rendering inert, consuming, alloying, gathering, cleansing, consuming, or any other way or means whereby a first material makes a second material unavailable or less available.
By xe2x80x9cinteractionxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cinteractingxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cinteractsxe2x80x9dherein is meant scavenging.
By xe2x80x9cinactivatingxe2x80x9d herein is meant scavenging.
By xe2x80x9chydrocarbonaceous fuelxe2x80x9d herein is meant hydrocarbonaceous fuels such as but not limited to diesel fuel, jet fuel, alcohols, ethers, kerosene, low sulfur fuels, synthetic fuels, such as Fischer-Tropsch fuels, liquid petroleum gas, fuels derived from coal, genetically engineered biofuels and crops and extracts therefrom, natural gas, propane, butane, unleaded motor and aviation gasolines, and so-called reformulated gasolines which typically contain both hydrocarbons of the gasoline boiling range and fuel-soluble oxygenated blending agents, such as alcohols, ethers and other suitable oxygen-containing organic compounds. Oxygenates suitable for use in the fuels of the present invention include methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, t-butanol, mixed alcohols, methyl tertiary butyl ether, tertiary amyl methyl ether, ethyl tertiary butyl ether and mixed ethers. Oxygenates, when used, will normally be present in the reformulated gasoline fuel in an amount below about 25% by volume, and preferably in an amount that provides an oxygen content in the overall fuel in the range of about 0.5 to about 5 percent by volume. xe2x80x9cHydrocarbonaceous fuelxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cfuelxe2x80x9d herein shall also mean waste or used engine or motor oils which may or may not contain molybdenum, gasoline, bunker fuel, coal (dust or slurry), crude oil, refinery xe2x80x9cbottomsxe2x80x9d and by-products, crude oil extracts, hazardous wastes, yard trimmings and waste, wood chips and saw dust, agricultural waste, fodder, silage, plastics and other organic waste and/or by-products, and mixtures thereof, and emulsions, suspensions, and dispersions thereof in water, alcohol, or other carrier fluids. By xe2x80x9cdiesel fuelxe2x80x9d herein is meant one or more fuels selected from the group consisting of diesel fuel, biodiesel, biodiesel-derived fuel, synthetic diesel and mixtures thereof. It is preferred that the hydrocarbonaceous fuel is substantially sulfur-free, by which is meant a sulfur content not to exceed on average about 30 ppm of the fuel. Since the fuel useful in the present invention may include used or waste oil having a molybdenum friction modifier or lubricity additive, the molybdenum in the scavenging and protection achieved by the present invention can also come from such a fuel instead of, or in addition to, the lubricant.
By xe2x80x9ccombustion systemxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9capparatusxe2x80x9d herein is meant, for example and not by limitation herein, any diesel-electric hybrid vehicle, a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, a two-stroke engine, any and all burners or combustion units, including for example and without limitation herein, stationary burners, waste incinerators, diesel fuel burners, diesel fuel engines, automotive diesel engines, gasoline fuel burners, gasoline fuel engines, power plant generators, and the like. The hydrocarbonaceous fuel combustion systems that may benefit from the present invention include all combustion units, systems, devices, and/or engines that burn fuels. By xe2x80x9ccombustion systemxe2x80x9d herein is also meant any and all internal and external combustion devices, machines, engines, turbine engines, jet engines, boilers, incinerators, evaporative burners, plasma burner systems, plasma arc, stationary burners, and the like which can combust or in which can be combusted a hydrocarbonaceous fuel.
By xe2x80x9ccontactingxe2x80x9d herein is meant the contacting, bringing together, reacting, complexing, coordinating, combining, admixing, mixing, and the like association between two or more materials, whether or not a chemical or physical reaction or change occurs.
By xe2x80x9cessentially free of phosphorus and compounds thereofxe2x80x9d is meant an amount of elemental phosphorus or a compound thereof which is less than about 10 ppm in the lubricant or resulting exhaust stream. Such low levels of phosphorus are desirable in many current lubricant formulations, and it is anticipated that lower levels of phosphorus in lubricants will be continually sought, perhaps required. A preferred level of phosphorus in the lubricant is an amount between 1 ppm and approximately 1500 ppm. A more preferred level of phosphorus in the lubricant is an amount between 500 ppm and 1200 ppm.
By xe2x80x9cafter treatment systemxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cafter treatment devicexe2x80x9d herein is meant any system or device which contacts the combustion product(s) from a combustion chamber in a manner designed to oxidize, reduce or otherwise treat the combustion product(s). Examples, but not by way of limitations herein, of such after treatment systems include an automobile three-way catalytic converter, lean NOx traps, catalyzed diesel particulate filter (xe2x80x9cC-DPFxe2x80x9d) and a continuously regenerating technology diesel particulate filter. xe2x80x9cAfter treatment systemxe2x80x9d also includes associated sensors like O2 sensors and NOx, sensors. Analogous gasoline combustion after treatment systems are known and are included herein as deriving benefit from the present invention.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are intended to provide further explanation of the present invention, as claimed.